


Goodbye to the Madness

by CasualCockroach



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Characters aged up, Death of Nikolai Plisetsky, Forgiveness, Guilt, Learning to be happy again, M/M, No skating for now, Otabek is 26 years old, Yuri is 24 years old, cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2018-12-04 00:04:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11543241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasualCockroach/pseuds/CasualCockroach
Summary: Death can change people in many ways. It can be a reason to work harder, or a reason to give up.After the death of his grandfather, Yuri Plistesky disappeared from his normal life, giving up on ever feeling happy again. Only now has he come back to Moscow to live out the rest of his life quietly and quickly, but these plans are suddenly put on pause when he runs into a past friend.





	1. Prologue

Yuri stood in the rink, waving to the cheering crowd and raising his gold medal for the cameras to get a good picture. Beside him on the Grand Prix podium were Otabek Altin with silver and Jean Jacques Leroy with bronze. It was a glorious victory for the boy compared to the year before, where Yuri had first experienced the awkwardness of puberty and was only able focus on snatching silver. Now, he was 17 and had adjusted to his growth and once again stood on the podium with renewed gusto.

He inspected the crowd carefully. Retired Yuuri and Viktor held a banner with words boldly saying "GOOD JOB, YURIO!!" while they hugged and cheered. Yakov and Lilia clapped and smiled at him. Yuri's eyes went to the rest of the stadium, but his grandpa was nowhere in sight. His brow furrowed and he frowned, catching the attention of Otabek.

Otabek placed a hand on Yuri's forearm and Yuri looked at him.

"His back must be acting up again, but I'm sure he's watching you on TV. He must be so proud of you," Otabek assured Yuri with a tender smile. Yuri knew this was probably the case because every time he, he was often complaining about his back pain and rarely left his chair. Yuri nodded and turned back to the cameras with hope that his grandpa was watching.

Otabek and Yuri met outside of the stadium. After congratulations from friends and doing short interviews, they left to their apartment. That year, the Grand Prix had been chosen to be in Saint Petersburg, so they luckily could go and rest in the comfort of their home before the exhibition skate.

When they got to the small apartment, Yuri checked his phone every couple minutes with hope that his grandpa would text him or call.

"What if he missed it?" Yuri whimpered to Otabek as they sat down on the couch to watch movies. Otabek squeezed Yuri close to his chest and placed his chin on the blonde head.

"Don't think like that. He knows you did well, whether he watched or not. He'll probably call you in the morning so that you could rest after your performance.."

Yuri sighed and continued to stare at the black screen of his phone until he fell asleep in Otabek's arms.

It was late into the night when Yuri's phone began to ring. He quickly wiggled his way out of Otabek's embrace and checked the number, but it wasn't Nikolai's.

"Hello, this is Moscow Hospital. We are calling for Yuri Plisetsky?"

Yuri was confused until sudden fear pierced him. His heart began to race as he thought of the horrible reasons a hospital was calling him.

"..I..umm..This is Yuri." He gulped and licked his dry lips.

"Mr. Plisetsky, your grandfather has obtained injuries from a car collision. He didn't want us to call, but we would appreciate if you could come as soon as you can. It's better if a family member is here to comfort him."

Yuri's face turned paper white and his breathing seemed to have stopped for a second. Otabek sat up next to him. He noticed the fear on Yuri's face and quickly put his hand on his shoulder.

"Yuri? What's wrong? Who is it?"

Yuri turned to him, his eyes flooding with tears now. "I'll be right over," he whispered into the phone. As if his arm had lost all of its strength, it fell to his side and dropped the phone. 

Otabek wrapped his arms around the slender frame, cooing calm things and asking what was wrong. Yuri's body shook as he cried and he wanted to answer but no noise escaped his mouth. 

****

They arrived after a silent, 8 hour drive and proceeded to the room Nikolai was in. Otabek stayed in the waiting room as Yuri entered to see his grandfather wrapped in many bandages and connected to several machines. The old man's eyes weakly opened and the corners of his pale mouth tried to form a smile.

"He was in a car accident," the doctor rein-formed Yuri as she checked the machines. "We attempted to contact your mother, but she didn't answer. Is there anyway you can get in contact with the her?"

Yuri averted his eyes to the ground and clenched his fists. "..N-no. She lost connection with us long ago.. It's just me."

"I see.. I will be back once in a while. Please press the button if any problem comes up," she said and left to her other patients, leaving the two alone.

"Yuratchka," Nikolai said in a voice barely audible. "You must have been great. If only I could have made it. I didn't want to worry you.." Yuri walked across the room to him and grasped his hand.

"No, Grandpa, it's alright," he whispered. His grandpa was cold and pale, his eyes looked tired, and his chest rose and fell ever so slowly. There was a cast on his leg, and the bruises and scratches were more prominent from up close.

"Oh, look at how big you are now... You look just like your mother. If only she could see what a great young man you have become.." Nikolai said in a hazy voice and cupped the boy's cheek in his hand. Yuri's heart wrenched. He hadn't seen his mother since he was a toddler and talking of her had always made him feel empty, unemotional. But now he felt resentful towards her. She was Nikolai's daughter, so where was she when he needed her?

"Grandpa..." His voice quivered and he tightly shut his eyes, trying not to cry. Nikolai didn't notice his expression and continued to tell Yuri how proud he was until he fell into a deep sleep.

Yuri returned to the hospital early the next day after a night of no sleep. Nikolai looked worse from the day before, increasing Yuri's worry.

"Is he getting worse? Isn't he supposed to be getting better? You professionals are supposed to take care of him, so why is he worse?" Yuri strictly questioned the doctor and nurse. Although they assured him that it was only momentary, his anxiety and resent for the unhelpful grew.

The days passed and the exhibition skate came upon Yuri. Yuri simply refused to leave Nikolai's side until he saw improvement in his health, but coaxed Otabek into going without him instead of waiting for him everyday in the waiting room. As expected, Yuri's absence disappointed his fans and concerned his friends, leading to the truth of Yuri's situation coming to light.

Yuri received calls and messages from his fellow skaters, saying how sorry they were and wishing him and his grandfather well until it became annoyingly repetitive to him. Deciding that he needed time alone with his grandpa, he left his phone at the hotel when he visited the hospital and refused leave Nikolai's side for anyone else.

The health of his grandfather had improved as the doctor promised and it seemed like he would be able to leave in a matter of days. This brought happiness to the two until everything went down one sunny afternoon.

Yuri sat next to his grandfather, intently listening to stories of his childhood. The old man sighed and looked out of the window, taking a break from talking and remembering. Yuri looked out too and realized that the sun was setting. The doctor would be in any second to shoo him away with the end of visiting hours. Unwilling to leave, he continued to stare at the sunset without caring of the time.

The light blue sky cascaded into yellows and oranges, the white clouds tinted cream by the sun's last fading rays. A small breeze entered the room with a sing-song whistle and rustled the curtains. Grandpa Nikolai sighed happily and closed his eyes, humming a song Yuri didn't know.

"What a beautiful sunset, Yuratchka. I hope it's just as beautiful over there.."

He lightly laughed and sunk himself back into the bed. Yuri turned to him with a confused expression and furrowed his brow.

"Grandpa, what do you mean.. over there?" He took his grandpa's hand and held it close to him. "G-grandpa?" Taking the other hand, he caressed the elder's cheek and noticed it became cold and pale.

Nikolai's breathing was soft and his hand was limp in Yuri's. His heartbeat slowed down at a fast rate and Yuri stood with panic. He clicked the alert button repeatedly and ran out into the hall.

"Nurse! Doctor!" Yuri yelled as sweat beaded on his forehead. Not spotting them, he immediately ran back into the room and held his grandpa's hand again. Yuri felt his face and noticed it was losing color and heat as well.

"Grandpa? Grandpa? Open your eyes, Grandpa! Please!" Yuri pleaded as he squeezed the hand. Tears formed in his eyes and streaked his cheeks. The last of the sun's rays made their way into the room and shone on Nikolai's nearly white skin. His hair softly moved with the light breeze's whistle and the creases of his usual worried eyes smoothed. It was almost as if he was sleeping and would wake up any second. 

'He has to wake up any second. He was perfectly fine! He was getting better!'

The sound of running feet echoed down the hall getting closer and closer until many nurses and the doctor flooded the room. They yelled orders at each other that Yuri ignored as he focused on his grandpa's sleeping face. His dying face.

"Grandpa.. No, don't. Please. I love you.. Please don't leave me alone.. Please," he croaked through the lump in his throat. "Grandpa!"

A nurse grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him towards the door. Yuri flailed his arms and another nurse came to help escort him out. 

"Please, sir, let us do our jobs!"

"You should have been doing them since the beginning and all throughout! Why didn't you do your job and take care of him, you bastards! Fuck! Fucking God! Just save him!!" Yuri yelled at them, aiming to throw a punch at them but was apprehended by security and put in the empty waiting room. He was left alone with the sound of his sobbing and pleads echoing from the walls and reaching no one.

****

Yuri immediately began packing his things the minute he woke up on March 1st, hoping to leave the apartment before Otabek came home from work. It had been months since his grandfather's death, but to Yuri, there was no point celebrating his 18th birthday if he wasn't there. Nothing--no party, no gifts, no cake-- could make him happy like his grandpa had made him, just annoyed. And now that he was a legal adult, he could escape it all.

Yuri walked out of the apartment building with the last of his things when Otabek returned from his grocery trip. Unhappy with the early arrival of his friend, Yuri quickly closed the trunk with the last of his things and got into the taxi. Otabek frantically parked and ran to the taxi.

"Wait! Wait! Yura, where are you going?," Otabek exclaimed, leaning in front of Yuri's open window. Yuri averted his eyes, unable to look at the perturbed face in front of him.

"I'm leaving," he blankly stated.

"Where? Wh-- why didn't you tell me before? For how long?" Otabek furrowed his brow as he questioned Yuri. 

"I didn't want to bother you. Plus, this involves only me, so I don't need to tell you anything. I'm an adult now, anyways, Beka," Yuri said in an accusing tone and tried to glare at Otabek, but failed at seeing his worry.

Yuri lowered his voice and spoke in a more soothing tone. "..I-I'm sorry.. I just need to get away for a bit. Take a break from skating and get an education.. I can't skate forever so it's important that I have my education to back me up."

"If that's what you need, then I will support you. How long of a break will you need though? You can get an education and skate at the same time, you know?"

Yuri hesitated and averted his gaze again. He truly felt skating was worthless now without his grandpa being alive to enjoy it. He started figure skating in hopes that his mother would be proud and return to him, but now it was just for his grandpa. With his death went his motivation. But how could he explain this to Otabek? It would hurt him..

"I don't know how long.. You'll just have to wait and see.."

Otabek grasped Yuri's small hand and pressed his lips to it. "No matter how long. I will wait for you. Just keep in touch. I don't want to lose you after all these years.. You will, right?"

Yuri couldn't look him in the eyes. "I-I will," he lied through clenched teeth. He hated himself for it.


	2. An Unexpected Visit

Yuri woke up at 5 A.M. to the sound of arguing neighbors from the floor above and sat up to stretch his long limbs. The bed was far too short for his recent growth to 5 feet and 10 inches(177 cm) and the mattress made his body ache, but it was all he could afford since he graduated from college. Early rays of sun entered the small, shabby apartment and accentuated the cracks that decorated the purple walls. Yuri counted them as he got ready for the day.

"55, 56, 57.. Hmm, three more than yesterday.. Amazing," he sarcastically said to himself as he brushed his teeth in the kitchen sink.

He tied his long blonde hair back in a messy ponytail and put on his work clothes, kissing Potya goodbye as he left to his job at the local coffee shop. The streets of Moscow were filled with many people as usual when Yuri made his way to the center of the city. His work place was placed between various gift shops and welcomed many customers who came to see the sights. It was somewhat small with muted colors, but it's sweet scents were welcoming.

Yuri worked from 6 A.M. until noon everyday and today was no exception. Everyday was the same so Yuri knew what to do and say and how to keep his temper under control until it was time to go to his next job. As Yuri walked out at 12, he bumped into a man, falling and hurting his knee. On the brink of a making a scene, Yuri bit his lip and shuffled away before the man could help him up and apologize.

He made his way to his next job with a limp and walked into the ballet studio to prepare for classes. It was his own small studio called 'Tiger Ballet Studios' that he acquired a year ago to make use of his Bachelor of Arts without having to actually perform in the local theater. Although he gave up on figure skating or being a ballerino, he also got the studio to inspire children into joining the performing world as he had been when he went to Yakov's ballet camp.

"Ah, this is gonna fucking bruise," Yuri cursed to himself as he inspected his knee. He finished putting on his black leggings and ballet shoes before going to his small office. There he calculated how much he would have to pay for the apartment, studio, and their bills. Seeing that he would only be left with around $200 for food and such that month, Yuri was devastated. He wasn't earning much for the ballet classes and his coffee shop job didn't pay him a lot, so paying for everything every month was leaving him less and less. Soon he would either have to get a night job or sell the studio, which he did not want to do.

The phone rang and snapped Yuri out of his frustrated state.

"Hello, Tiger Ballet Studios. How may I help you?"

"Yes, hello. This is the manager of Dmitri Vasiliev, *sigh* the new and incredibly popular pop star," the man said with an unimpressed voice, as if reading off a script. "Mr. Vasiliev would like to grant you a chance of a lifetime. We are looking for ballerinas to be in his new music video and you have the opportunity to show us that your studio has what it's got."

Yuri was dumbstruck for a second. He wasn't sure if it was a prank call, but this man's voice.. It was so familiar and trustworthy. Thus, Yuri decided that it was real. He also needed the money, so this was a great opportunity!

"..Wow. Umm.. H-how much would we be paid?" Yuri meekly asked, slightly embarrassed and concerned that he would be rejected for asking.

"Well, in all, it depends on sales and views..but you'll get a start of a few thousand for doing the video. Will your studio participate?"

"Hell yeah! ..Ugh, y-yes, I think we will."

"Alright. Now, we already know the address.. I'll just need to have your name."

"Yuri Pirozhkov," Yuri said automatically. It was the name he went by ever since Yuri's Angels started a search for him in college, so it stuck throughout the years.

"Okay, Mr. Pirozhkov. Mr. Vasiliev and I will observe your class this Thursday. Please, be prepared," he informed Yuri, about to hang up. Yuri looked at the calendar. It was Monday.

"W-wait! I must have misheard.. This Thursday?"

"Yes. We are in a hurry. Please be prepared by then. Now, goodbye."

"Wait!! Son of a bitch hung up on me!" He slammed the phone down and huffed. "My students won't be ready!! We won't be chosen because of this!"

****

Class started at 3:30 P.M. and children ranging from 6 to 13 filed into the studio. Mothers hastily left, and Yuri knew that they didn't take the class seriously. It was like a daycare to them.

Yuri walked in with his knee still causing him to limp and greeted the class. They lined up against the wall in order from smallest to largest.

"Good evening, class! I'm guessing school is still going well?"

"No, it's still boring," a student said and caused the rest to giggle.

"Well, I'll change that mood. I have exciting news! Do you know of Dmitri Vasiliev?"

Suddenly, the girls started to scream and cheer while the boys rolled their eyes.

"Who doesn't?!"

Yuri was surprised by their reactions. 'Dmitri must be popular with kids.. I didn't know he was that famous. Never liked his songs either..'

"..Oh, okay. Settle down," Yuri hushed until the students stopped talking about their favorite song by the pop star. "Well, we have been given the chance to appear in his music vid--" Screaming erupted once more and Yuri pinched the bridge of his nose to stop his temper from rising.

"BUT! But! We haven't been chosen! They'll be coming this Thursday to see and judge you."

The children became quiet and shared shocked expressions. "..In three days? How are we going to be ready by then?" "We don't even have a program.." "We'll never be chosen!"

The kids whispers turned to yells and crying. Yuri limped his way to them and hugged the crying child while saying comforting things to the others.

"Now, now! No need to give up. We're tigers, aren't we? We can make a program in no time! We just need to work, work, work!" Yuri said with confidence and roused them. The children cheered and chanted,"Tigers! Tigers! Tigers!", filling their little hearts with hope and motivation.

****

Thursday came fast and brought doubt. The children were hesitant again and worried that their program wasn't near ready, but Yuri was confident. He had chosen to make a program using "In Regards to Love: Agape" as its music, knowing that he could easily make it an impactful program even with the children dancing to it.

"Now, Mr. Vasiliev and his manager will be here shortly. I brought cupcakes that you all can have if, and only if, you all behave, keep your manners, and do your best. Now, let's kick some butt!" They cheered and rallied, making enough noise to not notice the pop star and his manager enter. The children realized one by one that their guests had arrived and froze. Yuri noticed the children's expressions and looked up to see the guests reflected in the mirrors. He turned around and composed himself.

"Ah, hello! Welcome to my studio," Yuri nervously said as he walked towards them, his limp showing only a bit, and shook their hands. Dmitri grinned widely as his light brown hair and emerald eyes shone in the room's light. He was tall and had the most symmetrical face Yuri had ever seen, intimidating him a lot. Beside him stood the manager who was a few inches shorter than Yuri, had an undercut, and a long stubble beard. His eyes were brown and emotionless, but Yuri felt a familiarity them.

Yuri beamed at them once again then turned to his students. "Say hello, everyone!" Being quite embarrassed and nervous, the kids silently greeted them. Yuri rubbed his head with uneasiness as he saw them so scared.

"Well, what a cute bunch!" Dmitri commented in an overly sweet tone as he stepped towards them. He bent down to look most of them eye to eye and smiled. "I'd love to see you dance. Will you show me?" The manager typed something into his phone as he leaned against the wall, observing intently.

The kids stirred and became much more comfortable. They smiled and faced their teacher in anticipation. Yuri gave them a thumbs up and walked towards the stereo. He signaled them to stand in position and they did, Dmitri joining his manager at the wall. With the press of a button, the music started and the children smoothly danced. For having only practiced three days, Yuri believed they were pretty good. They flowed nicely and kept with time, but they looked so focused that they did not express the story in their expressions. Yuri knew that that skill would take time to master.

Looking over at the guests, Yuri noticed that Dmitri was enjoying it, but his manager was rather surprised. 'Yes!! He must be surprised at how good they are. He loves it!' Yuri proudly thought. Then he made eye contact with the man. Intense, time-freezing eye contact. 

'W.. What is this?'

It was as if he was flooded with memories. 'Those eyes.. How they stare at me.. I've felt that stare before..' Yuri was suddenly pierced with recognition and the man noticed it, too. He took in a sharp breath and knew, 'It's Beka.'

'Did he already know it was me? Why is he a manager? What about skating? What's with the beard?' Yuri questioned, but averted his eyes quickly as guilt flooded through him. 'No!! Why did we have to meet again? He hates me, after all I did to him.. This is payback, isn't it?'

The children finished and the little audience clapped. Bowing, the children smiled and looked towards their instructor. Snapping out of his thoughts, Yuri clapped and smiled.

"G-Good job! You all did your very best!" Yuri said and hesitantly turned to the observers. 

"Absolutely wonderful! You make choosing very hard for me! I say you all have a lucky shot!" Dmitri cheerfully expressed and patted the kids heads. "Now, who wants autographs!"

As the students crowded around the pop star, Yuri bent down and took out the CD from the stereo, trying to ignore his former friend's stare. He felt horrible. The feeling of guilt weighed him down everyday, and now it was heavier. He had lied; said that he would keep in touch but deleted all means of contact; moved away and stayed hidden all these years. How Otabek must have felt! It was betrayal and down right hurtful in Yuri's eyes. Yuri's plan to live life out of the limelight hurt one of the people he had loved the most, and now, it was as if God was punishing him.

Otabek slowly walked towards him, leaving Yuri to stiffen as he stood. He was scared. Was Otabek going to yell at him here? Would he reveal Yuri's location to Yuri's Angels and the other skaters? No, he wouldn't do that.. He would give Yuri the most disappointed stare and Yuri's heart was surely going to break.

"Yuri Pirozhkov, is it?" His voice was deeper, but monotone, and further frightened Yuri. Yuri turned and looked down at him, his heart racing.

"Yes.."

"You will know of the results by next week. Please keep an eye out for an email and respond as soon as possible. Thank you for your participation," Otabek said as he typed something into his phone again. He turned around and notified Dmitri that it was time to go. Dmitri waved goodbye to the children and winked at Yuri playfully. Otabek was the last out the door, but before he stepped out, Yuri could barely make out a smile on his bearded face.

****

The email came with great news on Tuesday of the following week. His studio had been chosen to take part in the music video. This would have been great news for Yuri, but his worry only tripled. He would have to see Otabek that Friday to discuss time and preparation, all during a meeting in the coffee shop Yuri worked at! It would just be the two of them and god knows what Otabek would have to say.

This made Yuri somewhat furious as he thought about it more and more. Had Otabek been planning this the whole time? Working out a way to get revenge on him? Why couldn't he just fuck off and let Yuri live life away from this bullshit? But, Yuri needed the money, as selfish as it felt to him. He wanted to impact these kids! All he needed was to work with Otabek for a little while then never talk to him again. As simple as that!

Right?


	3. Old Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are all so nice!! Thank you so much for the kind words. They really mean a lot to me! ;v;

At the crack of dawn, Yuri sat up in bed with bags under his eyes and what felt like a ton on his shoulders. His body was tired from not sleeping a wink, but his mind was racing with thoughts. It was Friday, the day that he had to see Otabek again.

At first, Yuri wasn't worried at all, brushing it off as a small part of his job for the studio, but as the days passed, Yuri's guilt only increased and he started to panic. 

"How is this going to end?" He continuously whispered to himself throughout the days when all he could think of was Otabek.

One part of Yuri hoped their meeting would end with nothing but business matters and no emotions, but another part of him wanted Otabek to yell at him. Yuri knew that he would never yell, but hating himself wasn't as good a punishment as knowing Otabek hated him. Although, suppressed into the back of his mind was also the hope for a new start and happy ending..

Yuri slumped out of bed after the sun had risen and got ready for work. Finding that he wouldn't be able to get by with all this stress, Yuri made himself a cup of coffee and chugged it down with a few shots of vodka before he left. He got to work late and was met with an annoyingly cheerful smile from his manager, Nadya, when he walked in.

"Good morning, Yura! You are quite late, so I had to prepare everything on my own. But that's alright! You'll just have to prepare for the afternoon shift before you leave to make it up!"

"Please, don't call me that," Yuri grumbled, getting annoyed by her friendliness, and threw his jacket on the coat rack. He put on his work apron and sat lazily on the stool at the register. "..Actually, is it alright if I leave at ten? I have a meeting with someone at eleven."

Nadya tapped her chin as if she was making a hard decision. Meeting her eyes, Yuri gave her a pout and caused her to blush.

"O-oh! Okay, as long as you work longer tomorrow, or I'll take it off your paycheck!" She stuttered and turned back to fixing the display of desserts.

Yuri rolled his eyes and chuckled at his success. "Yeah, yeah. Will do." 

He leaned against the counter and propped his head up in one hand, closing his eyes to rest for minute. Although he couldn't take a minute-long nap with Nadya noisily moving around, Yuri remembered the time when he became friends with Otabek and how they were practically dating in a matter of months. He remembered how they had lived together and spent nights talking about dreams that never came true in the end. Then, how he had cruelly left Otabek to worry about him with no form of communication.

'Where would we be if I hadn't done that? If I had learned to accept Grandpa's death with him to support me? ..Probably a better place than where we are now, huh, Beka?' He sighed and felt his head grow heavy. Suddenly, Yuri's drowsy face slipped out of his palm and his head went falling to the marble counter.

"Fuck!!" He yelled and pressed on his temple. Nadya scurried over to him and bent next to him. She tilted his chin up and inspected his forehead, nodding like she was a doctor looking at a patient.

"Well, no blood, so you'll be fine. There, there, Yura. Let's just put some ice on it and hope it doesn't bruise too much," she cooed at him and gave his head a pat. Yuri silently cursed as his head pulsed.

'It's too late, anyway, Yuri. That's what you get for getting emotional.'

****

Ten o'clock came around after what seemed like years with Yuri's aching head. Deciding that he had worried too much about the meeting already, Yuri went home and just threw on a yellow sweater with black jeans. The bruise on his forehead shone shocking purple on his fair skin and he still looked tired. Yuri tried to cover his eye bags and bruise with makeup but it helped little, so he gave up and marched back to the cafe with an uneasy feeling in his gut.

Otabek hadn't arrived yet when he returned, so he went to a booth in the back and hoped that Otabek wouldn't see him when he came. He sneaked by Nadya, hoping she wouldn't notice him, but she quickly went up to the booth to greet him like she would any customer.

"Hello! Welcome to Bear Cafe-- Wait.. Yuri, you're back! Is your head okay? What about your meeting? You didn't tell me you were having it here! What's it about?" Nadya questioned when she realized this customer was actually her coworker.

"Yes-- Oh! I am about starving! May I get some hot chocolate and those secret cookies of yours? You know, the ones you hide at the back of the display so you can have them all to yourself," he quickly changed the subject and hoped to shoo her away fast.

Nadya flushed with embarrassment and quickly stopped herself from asking questions. She opened her mouth to say something then closed it and walked away quickly with a defeated expression. A minute later she returned with his order and reluctantly placed the plate of cookies in front of him.

"Thanks, Nadya," he said with a cheeky smile and paid her.

"You're welcome, but next time order at the register like a normal costumer, okay, Yura?" She huffed and went away.

Yuri shoved a cookie in his mouth and took up his mug. He blew at the brown liquid and took a sip as he stared at the door for any sign of Otabek. His heart was pounding and he felt sweaty despite trying his best to not worry.

'It'll just last a few minutes.. Then, he'll be out of your hair for a while..'

Yuri finished half of his drink and didn't feel like eating any more cookies after nervously waiting for a while. He had arrived extra early to calm his nerves, but as 11 A.M. grew closer, he was still flooded with worry. Pushing the mug and plate aside, Yuri laid his head on the table and closed his eyes, hoping that he would just disappear and not have to deal with his feelings or that guy. This worked for a few minutes before he felt a stare on his head and that deep, familiar voice spoke.

"Are you sleepy, Yuri? You should go get some rest and we can meet some other time."

Yuri squeezed his eyes with anger at how caring his voice was, keeping his head on the table a bit longer to decide how to react. Yuri promptly squeezed his hand into a fist to subside his anxiety and raised his head. There stood good old Otabek, so different yet still the same as always. He had no smile, but his furrowed brows and squinted eyes expressed concern that Yuri was so good at reading. Yuri's body relaxed and he felt himself wanting to get rid of Otabek's worry, but he stopped himself from thinking such things and was reminded that any emotional bond would just lead to Otabek being hurt again.

"No, this is a good time. Please, let's discuss the schedule for filming," Yuri blankly said and avoided his eyes. Otabek sat across from him and opened his briefcase. He took out several papers and gave half to Yuri.

"Alright.. These will be the schedules for you and your students," he started slowly, trying to catch Yuri's eyes but failing as Yuri just stared at the paper. "..The days in green are the days we would like for you to choreograph a dance. I will be there on the first day with the director to discuss what we would like. You will receive a CD of the song then."

He shuffled the papers to another and Yuri did the same, glancing up for a small glimpse of Otabek's expression.

"These will be the days we want to film on. We would like to get the filming done in two weeks, but we understand that your students are all in school and we do not wish to work them too much. If you believe it is needed, we can add another week to filming. Now, Mr. Vasiliev will not be able to be present for the first weeks of filming, but he would like us to start and film all your parts first.."

Yuri focused on his every word and didn't bother to look at Otabek, taking mental notes on specific details. His heart raced and he wanted to ask a lot of things, but he knew he had to focus to do a great job for his students and Dmitri. Eventually, Otabek finished his spiel and put his papers down. That's when Yuri snapped back into panic mode.

"I-is that all?" Yuri squeaked. He quickly turned away and coughed at his sudden voice malfunction, flushing pink with embarrassment. From the corner of his eye he saw Otabek faintly smile and lean in closer.

"I had hoped that we could talk about other things," Otabek softly spoke with a hint of anxiety. His expression was soft and longing.

Yuri turned to face him with wide eyes, about to hiss, "What else is there to talk about?" But his voice faltered and he became weak at Otabek's gaze.

"Y-yeah?"

Otabek let out a small breath and smiled so sweetly. His eyes curved happily and his brows remained furrowed, like he could cry any second. It was like he could finally let go of the weight on his shoulders. Yuri's heart skipped a beat. He had never seen Otabek with such an expression.

"It's just.. It's just so great to see you again, Yura," Otabek whispered as he took in all of Yuri. Yuri held his breath and averted his gaze. His cheeks turned soft pink as he became unsure of what to say.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Yuri whispered and nervously rubbed his hands together.

"Yes.. Every second without you felt like a year.. But I'm so glad to see that you are good," Otabek said and reached out to Yuri. He held one Yuri's hand in both of his, sending a shiver down Yuri's spine. Yuri was flustered, but he didn't pull away. He knew Otabek might do something like this, but it still surprised him and made him feel guilty.

"Well.. I hope everything is okay. You had a limp when I first saw you again, and now you have a bruise.."

Yuri quickly felt the bump on his head with his other hand with some embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it. I've been clumsy these past weeks, but I'm fine.. H-How's everyone else?" Yuri said to avoid causing anymore worry.

"Oh, okay.. Well, they have been worried sick about you, but they have grown.. Yuuri and Viktor have a child now. A cute girl named Kin. She turned three in January.. Yakov and Lilia are back together. And Gorgi, he finally found the one. Lovely girl, but the she's so quiet compared to him. I guess opposites do attract," he chuckled.

"JJ, he won gold in the Grand Prix four years ago, so he and Isabella finally got married. Now, they have a child and are expecting another soon. I heard they plan on having five. Milla and Sara have been dating for two years now, and Mickey has been coping with it by hanging out with Emil. Seung-Gil finally gave in and is dating Phichit. There's nonstop selfies of them.. Guang and Leo live together in the United States.. Christopher is married to.. Well, I totally forgot his name, but you know the one.. The wedding was..memorable, for sure... Hmm.. Sorry, that's all I can think of right now." He squeezed Yuri's hand and looked up at him again.

Yuri was saddened by how much he had missed, but he was relieved to know everyone was fine and happy. But he was still missing something..

"..But, Otabek.. What about you? Why.. Why are you working as a manager for some pop star? What about skating?"

Otabek hesitated for a moment, dropping his gaze to their hands for a second. He sighed.

"I've been taking a break from skating for a while.. You already know how interested I was in audio engineering; how I was going to school at night to get a degree in that stuff.. When you left, I didn't really know what to do for a while. I ended up taking a break from skating at 23 to finish up the last year of college and graduated with a Bachelor of Science. Figure skating season was almost over by the time I graduated and I needed money to support myself, so I looked around for a job online and met Dmitri.. He was young and wanted to be a singer rather than go to college, but his family was rich and would pay me anything to help him." He paused and squeezed his hands around Yuri's.

"After that, I don't know what happened to me.. I kept in touch with everyone due to JJ's persistence, but I wasn't sure about skating anymore.. I started wondering. What's the point? There's many heroes of Kazakhstan, so it's okay for me to take a break for a while. I guess I lost motivation after you left. Didn't really have anyone to share skating with.. Now, I'm still working for Dmitri and my break from the ice has extended."

Yuri's heart felt heavy. Otabek had been an inspiration to him because of his unhindered devotion to making Kazakhstan proud. Now, Yuri had caused him to leave the ice he loved so much. He groaned and placed his head in his free hand. The bump on his head was op hurting again and was only made worse by his feelings.

"It's my fault.. God, I fucked everything up.. I was impulsive and look where it got us.. God, I hate my--" He started but Otabek cut him off with another squeeze of his hand and a stiff voice.

"Yura, no. You did nothing wrong. You did what you thought was right and didn't mean to hurt anybody. You didn't hurt anybody, anyway. Please, don't talk about yourself like that."

"Why.. Why do you treat me so nicely..?! After all I did.. Why, Otabek?" Yuri croaked through a lump developing in his throat. He was getting emotional, but he couldn't control it.

'Don't get emotional, my ass..'

Otabek looked at him, confused. "How could I not? I care about you and I know you care about me, too. And if you wanted to deal with it alone, I had to respect that..But I never stopped caring about you.. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for you throughout the years and show you that."

Yuri tensed up and huffed. "W-what? Don't be sorry! I'm the one who should be sorry, so shut up! Goddamnit.. I'm so fucking sorry, Beka. Please, just shut up.." He pulled his hand away and wiped at his teary eyes. He was angry at himself and yet Otabek wasn't angry at him. After a minute of silence, he slowly stood and looked at Otabek's worried face with a sigh.

"Let's call it a day.."

They walked out of the cafe to the soft breeze of spring and a sunny sky. Otabek turned to Yuri and briefly hugged him. Yuri felt his cheeks redden with surprise and averted his puffy eyes when he let go.

"Goodbye, Yuri." Otabek smiled and started off. Yuri nodded and began to walk in the opposite direction, but he suddenly turned around and yelled out on an impulse.

"It was nice to see you again, Beka!!"

He quickly turned back again and scurried away into the crowd before he could see Otabek's face. Everything suddenly felt so calm. Some of the guilt on Yuri's shoulders had shed that day and there was now something for him to look forward to, even if he didn't want to admit it.


	4. Let's Celebrate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg I'm so sorry ;;-;; I really gotta stop leaving. Please forgive me I'm trying my best. Please accept this.

"Okay, so the next steps go one, two, three, step step, twirl, and freeze.. This is where we start getting a beat. Now, I know I you guys love this part and practically know it by heart now, buuut let's review it one more time then start from the top!" Yuri clapped his hands together and smiled at the children but received the usual groans from them. This was the tenth time he repeated the same thing and they were annoyed.

"We've done it like a million times, Mr. P! We are ready to film~!" The students nodded at one another and pouted at him. It was their last day of practice before they would start filming the next week and Yuri had made them repeat the same moves until they could do it with their eyes closed. And yet, he still worried. 

'Will it be good enough? What if they don't think so? What if Otabek--'

That's where he would stop and remind himself that his personal life shouldn't be involved with work unless he wanted to explode with stress and ruin his entire life. It wasn't the best coping mechanism, but it helped him concentrate and perfect the choreography. 

"Okay, okay! If you all really think so.. Just one more time and then we will be finished," Yuri sighed and restarted the music.

As the kids began dancing, Yuri nervously looked over at Otabek, who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and very interested in the children despite having seen the performance many times by now. Sure, it was part of his job to make sure the choreography was going with the schedule, but Yuri was always nervous to have him inspect them after what happened at their meeting. As professional as he tried to be, the possibility of impulsively showing emotion again haunted him.

The dance ended and the children cheered, making their way to the water fountain and packing up their things to meet their parents outside. Yuri said goodbye to them and was left alone with Otabek. Usually Otabek would have left quickly to attend to other matters involving the music video's production and had time for a few words, but Yuri could tell that he was in no rush today. He nervously walked towards Yuri with his hands in his pockets and his eyes low, biting his lip. Yuri tensed up and quickly turned around to put away the stereo.

"...Good job, Yura. You did a really good job," Otabek spoke and sent a shiver down Yuri's spine. Yuri flushed pink and thought over what he should say to not make anything uncomfortable.

"Thank you..," Yuri settled on and turned to him. Otabek straightened himself and shuffled his feet, obviously hesitant about something. Yuri felt somewhat better at seeing him so flustered, but it was also concerning.

'Oh fuck,' Yuri thought to himself, his heart pounding rapidly. Otabek was going to put him in a situation that will probably leave him emotionally vulnerable again.

"Well, since this was the last day of your biggest part the in the production, I was thinking..if you wanted to go grab a drink? To celebrate.." Otabek nervously flickered his eyes from the ground to Yuri and scratched the back of his head.

'FUCK, THERE IT IS.'

Yuri quickly looked around for any means of escape, sweat forming on his forehead. Realizing that he had been silent for a while, he decided that it would just be a quick drink and gave in.

"Oh.. Um, okay! Let me just, you know, change," Yuri said and quickly made his way into his office. Yuri changed out of his tights and let down his hair, taking quick glances at himself in the reflection of his phone to make sure he looked somewhat decent. He grabbed his bag and joined Otabek outside after locking the studio up.

They climbed into Otabek's car and drove for a few minutes in awkward silence. Yuri twiddled his thumbs and made quick glances at Otabek. Barely did he realize how sharply dressed Otabek was compared to his own outfit consisting of an oversized leopard-print hoodie, ripped jeans, and old sneakers. He looked like an overgrown teenager..

'Damn, my fashion sense has not changed for shit..'

Yuri looked out of his window as they came to a stop and saw that Otabek had brought him to a popular nightclub, the Shining Star. Despite the sun having barely set, there was already a long line of people waiting to get in. Yuri gulped and turned to Otabek with a confused expression. Otabek smiled at him and patted his shoulder.

"Come on, soldier."

Yuri followed him out of the car and straight to the door of the club, letting his hair fall over his face to hide from the glares of the people who had been waiting for a while in line. Otabek said a few words to the bouncer and they were let into a dim hallway. The door shut behind them and it was pitch black.

"Umm, Otabek? Where are you?" Yuri said as he waved his hands in front of him to not bump into anything. Then he felt a warm touch. Otabek took one of his hands and led him into the dancing area. Luckily, Yuri's blush wasn't noticeable in the flashing lights and his pounding heart was drowned by the music. Otabek glanced at him reassuringly and led him to a quieter area. Couples crowded the booths in passionate make out sessions, so the two took seats at the bar.

"When you said you wanted to get a drink, I didn't expect to come here," Yuri mumbled as he tucked his hair behind his ear. He peeked at Otabek from the side of his eye, immediately flushing pink and focusing on something else when they made eye contact. Otabek sighed and scratched his head.

"I wanted you to have a good time.. We could go somewhere else," Otabek said and started to stand.

Yuri grabbed his hand and pulled him back into his seat.

"N-no, it's fine. We're already here anyway," he huffed and turned to the bartender. "Black Russian, please."

Otabek eyed Yuri up and down with a smirk.

"You hated coffee; now you work at a coffee shop. The first time you tried vodka, you got drunk instantly and promised to never have it again, but here you are ordering a Black Russian. What happened?" He chuckled and ordered water.

Yuri rolled his eyes and got his drink. "I guess I've changed after all these years, Beka.. So have you." Yuri smirked and looked him up and down in return.

"Well, to changes and celebration," Otabek toasted and raised his glass to clink with Yuri's. They sat in silence as they drank, Yuri tapping his foot to the beat of the music. Of course Otabek had brought him to talk more rather than have a quick drink, but Yuri just felt like dancing.

"..So, how did you end up here, Yuri?" Otabek asked, breaking the silence.

Yuri tensed up and took a long sip. His eyes stayed on the counter and his foot stopped moving. 

'This is gonna be a long afternoon...'

".. You mean in this club? That you brought me to?" Yuri said trying to avoid what he knew Otabek wanted to hear.

"You know what I mean.." Otabek quietly said, trying not to pressure Yuri.

Yuri sighed and turned his head away from Otabek's eyes. 

'Just get it over with,' he thought and took a long swig.

"Well.. I went to college in Yaroslavl. Got a Bachelors of Arts degree for ballet at 22. Moved here and got a ballet studio. And that's what happened in a nutshell." He finished his drink and ordered another.

Otabek nodded. "..What made you come back to Moscow?"

"Oh.."

Yuri furrowed his brow and stared into his glass. The reason was obvious and it annoyed him that Otabek would bother to ask.

"Grandpa, obviously.. This is where he is. This is my home... I just thought that maybe if I was around, he wouldn't feel so lonely.." His voice went quiet and shaky.

Yuri knew that his grandpa was in a better place, but the thought of his grandfather being all alone, six feet underground with no one to comfort him made him distressed. Bringing it up only drowned him in sorrow. He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts and chugged the rest of his drink. He ordered another.

The silence resumed as Yuri focused himself on his drink and inspected the room. After a while, he sighed and propped his head up in one hand. His mind was full of thoughts again.

"My life is a mess," Yuri confessed with another sigh. "I could have done so much and I just fucked it all.."

Otabek leaned on the counter and looked at him with worried eyes.

"You know, it's not too late, Yura.. Why not become a professional ballerino? You have the skill. I could help you.. Or, why not go back on the ice?," Otabek started, trying to focus the conversation on something positive.

Yuri scoffed and glared at him before turning away. "You know why I won't go that route. It's obvious as shit that my life in the limelight is over.."

"..But, I'll probably be dragged back into it," he continued quietly. "You found me, and you'll probably tell the whole world about it," he feverishly said, chugging down the last of his drink and ordering another again. "It doesn't matter. I deserve it.."

Otabek shuffled in his seat, uncomfortable with being accused like that and unhappy at Yuri's hatred toward him. Why was he so angry with everyone and himself?

"Yura, I won't... I thought I made it clear that I care about your decisions. Why would you think I would do that?"

"Because I'm horrible! I hurt you and I should be punished! Why won't you just get it over with??" Yuri croaked through the forming lump in his throat. Otabek reached a hand out to him but he slapped it away. He had broke again and he needed to escape now. After fumbling through his wallet, he slammed some money onto the counter and quickly got out of his chair.

"Thanks for the time. I'll find my way home," he huffed and left before Otabek could stop him.

Yuri walked over to the dance floor and was sucked into the crowd. His vision was starting to blur, the drinks finally kicking in, but that wouldn't stop him from drowning his anger with dancing. The lights glittered purple and pink over the crowd and the beat moved through his body. He danced and danced without a care. He could see Otabek looking for him at the edge of the crowd, but he didn't care. Finally, he was feeling better and letting go.

As he rubbed himself against God knows who, a firm hand grabbed at him and pulled him away. Yuri could barely make out what was happening, but he pulled against him, trying to get back to dancing.

"Come on! One more song!!" He yelled and resisted.

Otabek turned to him and Yuri saw his face clearly. His brow was furrowed as usual, but he seemed..angry??

"Oh, you found me!" Yuri smirked and started to pull him into the crowd instead. "Hey, let's celebrate! Come onnnnn!"

Yuri's vision blurred once more and he found himself being lifted up and carried away. Otabek brought him outside and wrapped Yuri in his coat. The moon shone against Otabek's cool eyes and the cold made Yuri's flushed cheeks pinker. Otabek guided Yuri back to the car, an arm wrapped close around him to help him from stumbling.

"Ugh.. You're no fun," Yuri mumbled before bending over and vomiting.

"Okay.. Get it all out, Yura," Otabek cooed as he patted Yuri's back.

"This was a mistake," Yuri groaned. Otabek chuckled and handed him a tissue. Yuri wiped his face and spit out the remaining taste of vomit in his mouth.

"Yeah.. Come on, it's time to get you home," Otabek responded and led Yuri to the back seats of his car. 

Yuri spread himself among the seats and snuggled into the coat. As they drove, Yuri looked up at the street lamps passing by and slowly drifted off to sleep with the lull of the car and Otabek's humming calming his worries.


	5. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so late, but here you go!! Please forgive me.. TvT

Yuri's eyes fluttered open as the sun entered from the window and shone onto his face. It was early morning and only sounds of the birds and the breeze could be heard.

"Ugh, damn sun. Lemme sleep!" Yuri groaned and sat up, his eyes squinting at the open curtains. The sun wasn't fully up, yet Yuri was already cursing for it to go away.

He stumbled out of bed and tugged the pink delicate curtains shut, almost tearing them off their handle but he didn't care about that now. Happy with the darkness, Yuri snuggled back into the large bed and wrapped himself in the thick covers. His peaceful dreams were disturbed, but he stared at the smooth ceiling above him until he was dozing off again. And just as his eyes started to close, his heart stopped.

"Wait....a fucking minute," Yuri said with sudden realization and sat up straight.

He quickly looked around and realized that this wasn't his house. Everything was neat, perfect, and pastel..?, the complete opposite of his own house. He quickly threw the covers off of himself and slowly peaked out of the curtains. Looking out, he did not spot a view of his neighbors' home but of the whole city. Shutting the curtains again, he slid back into bed and pulled a pillow over his head.

"Either this is the dream where I married a millionaire, or I have been kidnapped," Yuri mumbled, hoping it was the first option. After a few minutes, his head began to throb and the drinks from last night were rising in his throat once more.

"Nope, not a dream!" He yelled and threw the pillow across the room before throwing up in the trash can that was miraculously beside the bed. 

Wiping his face with the tissues on the night stand, Yuri tried to remember what happened the night before, but all he could remember was Otabek's face, dancing, Otabek's face again, and throwing up. Eventually he concluded that he was probably in Otabek's apartment.

"Oh, well, I gotta fucking go!" he yelled to himself and flung himself off the bed, landing on his feet with a loud noise.

"Oh, fuck, gotta shut up.. Just find your clothes and leave, Yuri.."

Yuri quietly searched the room, yet the only thing that he could find was the underwear on his body, which wasn't very comforting at all. Just as his plans of sneaking out through window were ruined, he heard a noise outside of the room.

Yuri walked over to the door and pressed his ear against it. The clink of kitchen utensils and the smell of food coming from outside the room meant game over for Yuri. He had no choice but to confront the bear of a man himself now if he didn't want to leave naked and possibly die from going out the window. And with that, Yuri wrapped a fluffy blanket around his body and opened the door as softly as he could.

He braced himself and slowly stepped out of the door, leaving himself standing where Otabek could see him. Otabek, although, was too busy flipping some pancakes to have noticed him come out. It was a minute before Yuri could say anything, but he gathered his strength and—

"H-Hey! Where did you put my clothes, ya perv! I gotta go!" He finally yelled, hugging the blanket tighter to himself. He was scared of what Otabek would do. After all, this was his house.

Otabek jumped at the sudden yelling and turned around. His face was cleanly shaven and he was wearing glasses. Although, he was missing the hate in his eyes that Yuri so expected.

'Oh fuck, he's ho-- WAIT, SNAP OUT OF IT!'

"M-my clothes?? Where are they?? And why the hell am I here??" Yuri continued with a bit of hesitation.

Otabek took off his glasses and put them into the pocket of his sweats, obviously embarrassed. He coughed and put the down spatula, as well.

"Well.. When I got to your house, you were already asleep and the neighbors wouldn't let me into your apartment, so I just brought you here to stay in the guest room—"

"And my clothes?"

"I put you to bed and you must have took them off at some point.. I checked on you and decided to wash them for you. They're drying right now, but you lost your hoodie in the club while dancing. Sorry." He quickly explained with averted eyes, pretty sorry despite having done nothing wrong.

"Oh.. okay.." Yuri mumbled, his face turning red. "Sorry.. for calling you a perv.. and yelling.."

Otabek nodded. They stood in silence, eyes turned away from each other. Both were unsure of what to do in this awkward situation.

"Um.. Where's your shower?" Yuri finally spoke, trying to get at least out of the room if he couldn't leave without his clothes.

"Second door down the hall.."

"Kay.." Yuri mumbled and quickly shuffled down the hall, slamming the door shut out of embarrassment when he was safely inside.

"God.. How the hell am I going to face him after all this.." he sighed, slamming his hands to his forehead.

Yuri looked around and shed his blanket. The bathroom was huge and surprisingly luxurious, with a marble floor and porcelain tile covering the walls. On the other end of the room was a giant mirror reflecting Yuri's distressed appearance. His hair was tangled and his teal eyes had dark circles under them. Other than that he looked the same.

Stepping into the shower, Yuri was in awe that it could fit about five people, something his small ass shower couldn't beat. It was covered in beautiful tile that shimmered in the light and the glass doors were crystal clear for anyone to look into. Although, Otabek must have had a weird fascination with smelling good because he had a ton of fragrant body washes and shampoos scattered about.

"How the fuck do you afford this, Beka," Yuri said to himself with a whistle and turned on the water.

Yuri washed his body, cheerfully humming as he started to grow fonder of this place. It wasn't a surprise that Otabek was living wayyyyy better than him, but it felt so comfy and Yuri's regret of not staying Otabek's friend grew a little more.

Stepping out, Yuri found that the blanket had been picked up and his clothes were on the sink counter, neatly folded. Next them was a towel for him to use.

'Hopefully, he didn't see me..' Yuri thought but then reassured himself again that Otabek was not that type of guy.

Yuri shuffled out of the bathroom when he was dressed and into the kitchen, his hair still dripping with water. Otabek was sitting at the table with a planner, checking off stuff and typing on his phone. He looked up and smiled at Yuri, causing him to blush.

"Your food is gonna go cold," Otabek said and signaled Yuri to sit. He had set up the table for the two of them, but Otabek had finished already.

Yuri nervously sat across from him and looked down at the plates of pancakes, sausage, and eggs. It was more than his usual start-of-the-day breakfast and felt somewhat threatening, but Yuri eventually found himself scarfing it down. 

Otabek softly chuckled and stood up, causing Yuri to pause.

"I'm gonna go get ready so I can take you home. Sit tight," Otabek explained and went off to his room.

Yuri stared at the door Otabek went into and put down his fork. He had time now and he wanted to investigate the place before he left. It'd probably be the last time here, so might as well get the most of it.

Slowly getting up, he walked around. The living room was very stylish and adorned with cheerful colors, but it looked like no one hung out there anyways. On the walls were some paintings of flowers and what looked like pictures. 

There was very few, but most of them consisted of Otabek standing bored next to cheerful Dmitri. Dmitri seemed to grow taller and taller in each photo until he was about a foot above Otabek. This made Yuri giggle but it also made feel sad. Otabek looked the same but he could tell that he had changed so much.. without Yuri..

Deciding it would be best to just sit down and wait for Otabek at the table, Yuri made his way back to his seat. As he passed by the table, he brushed by Otabek's planner and something slipped out, fluttering to the ground. Yuri turned and quickly kneeled down to pick the piece of paper up but stayed kneeling as he took in what it was.

"Oh.. what the.."

Yuri was surprised. It was a picture of Otabek and him.. but something was off. Otabek had a beard in this picture and Yuri never saw him with a beard until the moment they met again. Looking back at the person he mistook for himself, Yuri realized this was a young women. Taking her in fully, he noticed that they were almost the same, but the dark brown eyes she had.. They were so emotionless. 

At the sound of the door opening, Yuri quickly stood up straight and shoved the photo back into the planner before leaning against the table with his arms crossed. Otabek walked out of his room, fully dressed and ready for business, and grabbed his planner off the table. Yuri stood frozen and stared at nothing.

"..Ready?" He asked Yuri, his expression somewhat curious at Yuri's stiff state.

"Pff, obviously," Yuri coughed and quickly made his way out the door.

The ride back home was long since Yuri lived a long ways from Otabek's apartment, but that gave him time to think.

Who the fuck was that girl? And why did Otabek leave her out when they were talking at the cafe?? Is he still wing her!? ..Maybe Otabek was hiding something from him, and if he was hiding that, what other things.. what other feelings could he be hiding? Maybe.. he did hate Yuri after all..

"You okay? You look like you have seen a ghost, Yura," Otabek spoke, looking at him with pure concern.

Yuri jolted back to reality, and looked at Otabek. He blushed and turned away.

"Y-Yeah, I'm good," he mumbled before looking out of the window to see his home.

Otabek had arrived minutes ago and Yuri hadn't even noticed. Otabek must have thought Yuri needed a second to gather himself. Realizing all this now, Yuri quickly stumbled out of the car.

"Oh, fuck, sorry!" He yelled as he got out and rushed to the door of his home. He turned around and saw Otabek wave. Deciding it wasn't appropriate to wave or even flip him off, Yuri just rushed inside. 

He threw himself onto the couch and looked up. The oh-so familiar ceiling made his stomach churn now. He felt like he knew too much and the after math of last night's activities was still there. 

Oh, and he skipped work. Nadya would be up his ass.


End file.
